Things to do in the Northern Russia Tundra.Despite the popular conception of Siberia as a blizzard-socked, treeless wasteland, much of this vast central and eastern dominion of Russia – taken, in its broadest sense, from the Ural Mountains to the Chukchi and Bering seacoasts – is comprised of rich hardwood forests, temperate steppe and boreal woods. Nonetheless, true tundra does exist in its northern and some alpine regions, and offers opportunity for cultural exploration and wild adventure in a place of wolves, mountain sheep and great white bears.

WildlifeViewingMany of the large mammals endemic to the North American Arctic tundra are also found in Russia, offering dramatic wildlife-viewing possibilities. Polar bears – largest of terrestrial carnivores – den in coastal tundra areas and spend the winter roaming vast tracts of sea ice in search of seals, beluga whales and other prey. Expeditions to Wrangel Island, the Chukchi Peninsula and other reaches of the Siberian coast, such as those offered by Heritage Expeditions (heritage-expeditions.com), provide the chance to explore some of the world's most critical polar-bear breeding and hunting grounds. Hefty tundra wolves – a subspecies of the widely distributed gray wolf – hunt migratory reindeer and reintroduced musk-oxen. Brown bears also range from their taiga strongholds onto the Russian tundra. Montane tundra, as exists on the remote Putorana Plateau in the Siberian Traps, shelters fleet snow sheep. Birdlife is rich during the nesting season; among the species visitors might see are the strikingly white Siberian cranes that breed on the tundra and winter far south in the Asian subtropics.

Wildlife ExplorationMuch of the Arctic tundra of Russia is sparsely populated, containing substantial expanses of true wilderness, from windswept coastline to remote ranges such as the Barrynga Mountains of the Taymyr Peninsula. Protected areas include the Great Arctic State Nature Reserve – biggest such holding in Europe – and the Putoransky State Nature Reserve. Anglers on Siberian rivers can cast for species such as grayling and taimen, the latter a massive member of the salmon family. The Ecotourism Association of Russia (ecotourism-russia.ru) catalogs some of the fishing-oriented tours in the region.

Cultural TourismA number of indigenous cultures inhabit tundra reaches of Siberia, aspects of their historical subsistence lifestyles mirroring those of the Arctic and subarctic peoples of Scandinavia, Alaska, northern Canada and Greenland. Visitors to the region can appreciate such rich cultural heritage, often through specially arranged outings as part of guided ecotourism programs. Some of the Russian Far East cruises offered by Aurora Expeditions, for example, include visits to Chukchi and Koryak reindeer herders. Other native peoples of the Siberian tundra region include the Nenets, Dolgans and Nganasans of the Taymyr Peninsula and the Yupik of the Chukchi Peninsula.